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Biomedical subjects

R Watanabe

Publications and source records attributed to R Watanabe.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Blink-induced variations in visual performance with toric soft contact lenses.

BACKGROUND: Blink-induced lens movement causes a reduction in visual performance that is potentially greater with toric than with spherical soft contact lenses because of the combination of vertical lens movement and rotation. This study examined the effect of the two most common methods of toric lens stabilization (prism ballast and dynamic stabilization) on vision. METHOD: Four toric soft contact lens wearers were the subjects (astigmatic range 1.25 to 2.25 D). Stimulus presentation (10.5 cpd sine wave grafting flashed for 16 ms) occurred at specified times up to 400 ms after the blink. Contrast thresholds were determined monocularly with spectacles and the two types of contact lenses. RESULTS: For the grouped data, the prism balasted lens gave better overall visual performance than the dynamic stabilization at all times after the blink. Separate analysis of subject data suggested that this general pattern was not true for all individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical evaluation of different lens designs on individual patients is required for achieving the optimum visual performance with toric soft lenses.

Blinking↗
PubMed1994

Sebaceous epithelioma.

An 83-year-old woman had developed an asymptomatic, yellowish, dome-shaped skin tumor on her scalp which had enlarged for a period of 60 years to 10 x 10 x 10 mm in size. Histopathologically, the tumor consisted of undifferentiated basaloid cells, differentiated sebaceous cells and transitional cells. Although the basaloid cells resembled those of basal cell epithelioma (BCE), the tumor was distinct from BCE in the following points; existence of cystic spaces, no peripheral palisading, no proliferation of connective tissue stroma, and no tendency toward local invasion. Immunohistochemical studies using antikeratin monoclonal antibodies revealed that the tumor contained both the keratin types of BCE and of sebaceous glands. Electron microscopically, the tumor cells contained lipid droplets and keratohyaline granules in their cytoplasm. It is suggested that "sebaceous epithelioma" is a benign skin tumor which may be distinguished cytologically from BCE.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Correlation of p53 protein expression in human urothelial transitional cell cancers with malignant potential and patient survival.

The p53 gene product has been detected frequently in various human malignancies. We have studied the expression of p53 protein in urothelial transitional cell cancers (TCCs) and examined its correlation with pathologic grade, stage(pT) and patient survival. Specimens from 69 surgically-resected TCCs (38 cases of urinary bladder cancer, 17 cases of ureteral cancer and 14 cases of renal pelvic cancer) were examined by immunohistochemical staining, using two anti-p53 monoclonal antibodies, PAb1801 and PAb240, and a polyclonal antibody, CM-1. Twenty-six TCCs (37.6%) were positively stained by at least one of the three antibodies. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between p53 expression and high pathologic grade (p < 0.05, p < 0.001) or progressive pathologic stage (p < 0.01). In addition, in 51 of the patients who were available for follow-up (23 cases of urinary bladder cancer, 13 cases of ureteral cancer, and 15 cases of renal pelvic cancer), the correlation between p53 protein expression and prognosis was examined. The survival of patients exhibiting positive p53 protein expression was significantly worse than those with p53-negative tumors (p < 0.05). These results suggest that an immunohistochemical test for p53 protein may be a useful method of evaluating the malignant potential of TCCs. Additionally, expression of p53 protein in TCCs is an indicator of a poor prognosis which should be considered in drawing up treatment strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

A case of arterial priapism treated by embolization.

An 18-year-old unmarried man, who had shown arterial priapism caused by mild perineal trauma sustained during skate-boarding, has been successfully treated by autologous clot embolization at the common penile artery. He was able to have a normal erection and ejaculate 5 d after embolization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Intrarectal inoculation of macaques by the simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVmne E11S: CD4+ depletion and AIDS.

Macaca nemestrina and Macaca fascicularis were inoculated with various doses of a single-cell clone of SIVmne-infected HuT 78 cells (E11S) by both the intravenous and intrarectal routes. Animals inoculated intravenously at each dose seroconverted and virus was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but only the high-dose intrarectally exposed macaques became viremic and seroconverted. However, some seronegative, virus isolation negative intrarectally inoculated macaques showed evidence of infection and disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

IgA nephropathy associated with portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic and non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis.

A 69-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of leg edema, proteinuria (2.1 g/day), and gross hematuria. She had non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis of unknown etiology. Esophageal varices also were found. Examination of the renal biopsy specimen revealed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with IgA deposits. Propranolol was administered orally to reduce portal hypertension, resulting in a progressive decrease in urinary microalbumin excretion. This case suggests that portal hypertension is involved in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy in liver cirrhosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Caloric restriction per se is a significant factor in improvements in glycemic control and insulin sensitivity during weight loss in obese NIDDM patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of caloric restriction, independent of differences in weight loss, on improvements in glycemic control, fasting insulin, and insulin sensitivity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We randomized 93 obese type II diabetic patients to two different degrees of calorie restriction (1,674 or 4,185 kJ/day; 400 or 1,000 kcal/day) and compared the changes in fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin sensitivity that resulted from a comparable reduction in body weight (11% of initial body weight). Insulin sensitivity was assessed using the minimal model analysis of frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests. RESULTS: Despite equal weight losses, subjects in the 1,674 kJ/day (400 kcal) condition had lower fasting glucose levels (7.61 vs. 10.13 mM, P = 0.03) and greater insulin sensitivity (1.79 vs. 1.13, P = 0.04) after weight loss than did subjects in the 4,185 kJ/day (1,000 calorie) condition. Subjects were restudied 15 weeks later when both groups were consuming a 4,185 kJ/day (1,000 kcal/day) diet. Subjects who increased from 1,674 to 4,185 kJ (400 to 1,000 calories) had worse fasting glycemic control in spite of continued weight loss, whereas subjects who remained on 4,185 kJ (1,000 calories) throughout had further improvements in both blood glucose and insulin sensitivity with increased weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Both degree of calorie restriction and magnitude of weight loss have independent effects on improvements in glycemic control and insulin sensitivity.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Anesthesia for a patient with olivopontocerebellar atrophy].

Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) is one of the spinocerebellar degenerative diseases. Reports of patients complicated with OPCA are scarce in anesthetic literature. We managed a 79-year-old woman with sialolithiasis of the left submandibular gland complicated with OPCA. She underwent a removal of the gland under general anesthesia using oxygen, nitrous oxide, and isoflurane (0.6-2.0%). Blood pressure decreased transiently after induction of anesthesia, but, no vasopressors were needed to maintain the blood pressure during the surgery. There were no untoward cardio-respiratory events after the surgery. Perioperative anesthetic management of patients with OPCA is also discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Cell cycle assessment of adoptive transferred lymphokine activated killer cells.

The use of lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells for adoptive transfer therapy has been reported from number of clinical trials. To our knowledge, however, there has been no report concerning the cell cycle progression of LAK cells. Thus, for the present study we have attempted to examine the LAK cell cycle either before or after transfer. In vitro and in vivo analyses of LAK cells labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) were carried out using two-parameter flow cytometries of their nuclear staining using fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-conjugated anti-BrdU antibody and propidium iodide (PI). The in vitro growth of BrdU-positive cells showed the cells to divide once in the S phase, continue to the G2-M phase and return to the G0-G1 phase with a similar pattern after 48 or 72 h culture. They formed a definite subpopulation and were of phenotypes, thy-1.2 (+), Lyt-1.1 (-), Lyt-2.1 (+), L3T4 (-) and AGM1 (+). The percentage of BrdU-positive cells decreased significantly (P < 0.05) when treated with complement plus anti-thy-1.2, anti-Lyt-2.1 or anti-AGM1 anti-bodies, demonstrating BrdU-labeled LAK cells to have the same phenotype as control LAK cells. As in vitro, the in vivo cell cycle of LAK cells 48 and 72 h after transfer had a similar pattern, and the LAK cells also continued on to the S phase after the first division. The in vivo growth of the LAK cells treated with interleukin-2 (IL-2) was promoted 24 and 48 h after transfer. In conclusion, the present study showed LAK cells to be capable of dividing following transfer and to keep their own phenotypic characteristics; also, that treatment with IL-2 may promote their division. Adoptive transfer therapy seems to be a viable therapeutic method.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Necessity to improve common understanding about the security issues among hospitals in Japan and some feasible approaches.

To improve common understanding about security issues, the importance of classifying the information is stressed, after describing briefly the social background concerning privacy-related problems in Japan. We discuss here the classification only from the following two points of view: (a) the ownership; and (b) how to use. We will derive a two-dimensional fuzzy membership function to describe the ownership and a 'how to use' three-dimensional one as models for describing the framework concerning access right and informed consent.

Computer Security↗
PubMed1994

[Acanthamoeba isolation from contact lens solution of contact lens wearers without keratitis].

Acanthamoeba keratitis seems to be associated with wearing contact lenses. As controls, we surveyed contact lens wearers without keratitis. Contact lens solutions of 93 persons were examined in order to identify risk factors for contamination by Acanthamoeba. Therefore, the contact lens disinfection system and storage schedules were studied in each case. Acanthamoeba organisms were isolated from 4 specimens (4.3%). The incidence of Acanthamoeba was higher in specimens of soft contact lens solution than in those of hard contact lens solution, and all the Acanthamoeba positive cases had been using tap water.

Acanthamoeba↗
PubMed1993

A new tumor-associated antigen defined by a monoclonal antibody directed to gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To develop useful markers for the gastrointestinal neoplasms, the authors have established a new monoclonal antibody (MoAb), FU-MK-1, directed to gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The MoAb was produced by a mouse hybridoma technique by immunizing a BALB/c mouse with cancerous ascites derived from a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach. RESULTS: FU-MK-1 did not react with the normal adult gastric mucosa, but did react with most carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the MoAb recognized cholangiocarcinomas (CC), but it did not react with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Furthermore, in the combined type tumor consisting of a mixture of HCC and CC, the MoAb react only with CC element, but not with pseudoglandular structures in the HCC areas. These results indicate that FU-MK-1 is a useful antigenic marker for distinguishing HCC from CC in the liver. Furthermore, because this MoAb retains its reactivity with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material, it may become a useful reagent for routine or retrospective immunohistologic studies. The molecular weight of the FU-MK-1 antigen was estimated to be ca. 41,000 dalton by the Western blot analysis. Periodic acid and trypsin treatment on the antigen suggested that the antigenic determinant is a glycoprotein. CONCLUSIONS: This MoAb may contribute to the histopathologic and immunologic studies of the digestive system.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Identification of pol-related gene products of human foamy virus.

Human foamy virus pol gene fragments were molecularly cloned into a procaryotic expression vector. The expression pattern of the cloned fragments and nucleotide sequence analysis of the 5' pol gene region revealed that in HFV the protease (PR) is located in the pol open reading frame. Purified recombinant proteins were used to generate antibodies in rats. In immunoblot assay, using infected cells as antigen, a precursor protein with an apparent molecular mass (M(r)) of 127K was identified by antibodies directed against the reverse transcriptase (RT), RNaseH, or integrase (IN) domains of pol. With concentrated virus as antigen, the RT and RNaseH antibodies recognized a protein of 80K, the IN antiserum recognized a protein of 40K, and the PR antiserum detected a protein of approximately 10K.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Unsuccessful attempt to detect genetic mutation in tuberous sclerosis utilizing the polymerase chain reaction.

Although tuberous sclerosis is supposed to be a phacomatosis inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, many cases develop without any affected parents or grandparents. In recent years, many vigorous investigations have been concentrated on finding the mutant gene, and possible candidate genes have been mapped on 9q34 and other chromosomes. In order to find a way of diagnosing asymptomatic carriers or patients, we tried to detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) using the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We used a probe, MCOA12, which is located on 9q34 and has been known to show RFLPs in Caucasian tuberous sclerosis patients. However, we could not find a correlation between the phenotype and RFLP pattern in seven of eight families.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Cerebral amyloid in human prion disease.

The clinical and neuropathological features of 21 patients with prion disease were reviewed with special reference to the morphology and immunoreactivity of cerebral amyloid. Six cases had a mutation at codon 102 of the prion protein (PrP) gene and in these the characteristic pathology was the formation of multicentric amyloid plaques which were stained with PrP antibody, whereas spongiform changes were absent in one and minimal in two. In one case, with a 216 base-pair insertion in the PrP gene, there was no spongiform encephalopathy (SE) but cerebellar amyloid was a prominent feature of the pathology. One case with a PrP gene mutation at codon 200 had severe SE but no amyloid. Two iatrogenic and 11 sporadic cases had SE and some form of amyloid was identified in all but three. Amyloid angiopathy and senile neuritic plaques, which stained with antibody to beta-protein, were present in familial as well as in sporadic cases, including some who were rather young to be regarded as having Alzheimer's disease. Cerebellar amyloid and degeneration of granule and Purkinje cells were particularly common findings in sporadic as well as in genetically determined cases. This study serves to emphasize the association between prion disease and amyloid deposition in the brain. PrP is a component of some amyloid plaques in a high proportion of cases with inherited prion disease but may also be found in cases of sporadic SE without known mutations or base-pair insertions in the PrP gene.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Cultured skin fibroblasts derived from three patients with disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) are hypersensitive to the lethal effects of X-radiation but not to those of ultraviolet (UV) light.

Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP), skin lesions of which are known to be induced by ultraviolet (UV) light, does not develop into skin cancer as frequently as other types of porokeratosis (PK). To establish the cellular basis of this characteristic of DSAP, we examined the colony-forming ability of UVC light- or X-ray-irradiated cultured fibroblasts derived from DSAP patients' skin. Sensitivity to the lethal effects of UV light was not significantly different between 3 DSAP and 5 control cell strains. In contrast, DSAP cell strains were significantly hypersensitive to the lethal effects of X-radiation, although the sensitivity was less than that of cell strains from other types of PK patients. The results indicate that the actinic character of DSAP is not reflected in the cellular response to the lethal effects of UV light, but suggest that DSAP shares X-ray sensitivity, which is probably associated with the cancer-prone nature of PK.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

[Investigation on immunological factors of non- and low-responders to hepatitis B vaccine].

We investigated the immunological factors concerning the backgrounds of non- and low-responders who could not respond well to the hepatitis B (HB) vaccine. We injected 10 micrograms of the recombinant HB vaccine to the medical staffs of our hospital intramuscularly three times, 199 subjects of whom could receive the full course of immunization with the HB surface (HBs) antigen. We found that 14 subjects were non-responders whose titer of HBs antibody was under the 1.9 cut off index (C.I.) examined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and 47 ones were low-responders whose titers were between 2.0 to 9.9 C.I. and the frequency of non- and low-responders was higher in males after the full course of HB vaccination. We chose 46 subjects and divided them into 4 groups according to the titer of HBs antibody at 8 and 28 weeks. We compared those groups to each other according to the amounts of total protein, gamma-globulin, IgG, IgA and IgM, numbers of peripheral white blood cells and lymphocytes, and percentages of peripheral lymphocyte and subsets of T cell including the examination by two-color flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. However we could not get any significant difference in any of those immunological factors by T assay. From these findings we suggest that the response to the HB vaccine does not depend on the quantity of the immunological factors before vaccination but on specific reactivity to HBs antigen after vaccination.

Adult↗